Source:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgrinder/2009/mar/09/community-radio-ofcom-plunkett-blog
Please note, that you can follow the blog discussion at the bottom of the article, where Plunkett asks
> Do you work in community radio? Do you listen to it? Is it in danger
> of being left behind by digital radio - or are the current stresses
> and strains of the commercial sector community radio's biggest
> opportunity yet?
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Community radio was today hailed as a triumph by the media regulator,
Ofcom, but is the new breed of volunteer-run stations filling the void
in local programming that commercial radio has left?
There are now more than 130 community radio stations across the UK,
with another 50 preparing to launch. Although, given current economic
conditions, it remains to be seen how many of those will actually take
to the air.
But with commercial radio in the doldrums, any radio success story
outside the BBC is to be celebrated.
The not-for-profit stations are required by Ofcom to deliver "social
gain to one or more communities" in their local area, with stations
catering for urban music fans (New Style in Birmingham), experimental
music aficionados (London's Resonance FM), the armed forces (Garrison
FM in Edinburgh) and religious communities (Cross Rhythms in Stoke on
Trent).
Ofcom says the community stations are "generally meeting their costs",
with the average station costing £101,000 to run, with average station
income also at £101,000. Well, they are supposed to be not for profit.
But it is worth noting, as Ofcom does, that the figures for the median
station are somewhat lower, with operating costs of £64,500 and income
of £65,500, suggesting that a small number of stations earn - and cost
- significantly more than the majority.
Community radio relies on a huge band of volunteers - an average of 74
a station, according to Ofcom - delivering a total of more than
100,000 volunteer hours a month. In return, some of them get training
and qualifications that they would not receive elsewhere in the
sector.
But how much can community radio provide the "local factor" that will
inevitably go missing from the big commercial radio stations as they
turn their back on locally produced content and heritage station names
in favour of syndicated programming and national brands?
Announcing Ofcom's first annual report of community radio today, Peter
Davies, Ofcom's director of radio policy, said community radio was a
"real success story".
"It delivers rich and varied content to listeners and provides
additional benefits through community involvement and training.
"In just over three years, 130 stations have sprung up across the
length and breadth of the UK ... We are delighted that interest from
those wishing to run such stations for their own communities remains
high."
Each community radio station provides 81 hours of "original and
distinctive output", according to Ofcom, with most of it locally
produced.
To protect the revenue of existing commercial stations, community
broadcasters are barred from raising more than 50% of their income
from on-air advertising and sponsorship - it currently stands at 18% -
with the majority of their backing coming from public sources such as
local authorities.
Less than 15% of the UK population - around 6.5 million adults - are
able to receive a community radio station aimed broadly at them, says
Ofcom. The shortage of FM frequency availability hasn't helped this,
although the process of "digital migration" - you probably shouldn't
hold your breath - may one day free up extra spectrum.
My earliest experience of community radio was more than a decade ago,
when I covered the launch of the Rochester-based Medway FM in north
Kent. One of the joys was hearing about local news and events, which
were never covered by BBC Radio Kent, even though it was based just
down the road.
But it didn't have the newsgathering resources of the local newspaper
- I admit it, I was working for it - and the amateurish presentation
quickly moved on from endearing to irritating.
Still, Medway FM has moved on since then - its office is now a wine
bar and the newsroom a ladies' loo - and so has community radio, with
the current band first licensed in 2004.
Do you work in community radio? Do you listen to it? Is it in danger
of being left behind by digital radio - or are the current stresses
and strains of the commercial sector community radio's biggest
opportunity yet?
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